Karen Williams

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Karen Williams has advocated for special needs students for more than 30 years. Her experience includes teaching and educational administration in public, nonpublic and private schools in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Northern Virginia and Nevada. She has served as an expert special education witness in local due process hearings on behalf of parents. Ms. Williams holds a BS degree in Special Education to include learning and emotional disabilities, and a MS degree in Educational Leadership.

 

As an educational consultant Ms. Williams supports families with young scholars who learn best with instruction that has been specifically designed to meet unique learning needs. Representing and being a strong voice for young scholars is Karen’s true passion. She relishes the youthful energy and uniqueness these learners bring to the world.

 

Ms. Williams is a member of the Coalition of Parents, Attorneys, and Advocates, (COPAA), through which she has received and participated in intense training in special education law and advocacy.

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Becca Walawender

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From the classroom to the corridors of federal power, Becca Walawender has dedicated her career to one unwavering mission: ensuring every child with a disability gets the education they deserve in order to live self-determined lives.

As the former Policy Director for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), Becca didn't just interpret policy—she helped shape it. Her deep expertise in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has made her a go-to national authority for families, educators, and districts navigating complex special education requirements.

But Becca's real superpower? She's been in the trenches. As a former middle school special education teacher, she understands the daily realities facing students, parents, and educators. This unique combination of federal-level policy expertise and classroom experience allows her to translate bureaucratic complexity into actionable solutions that actually work for children with disabilities and their families.

What sets Becca apart:

• She doesn't just know IDEA—she lived it from both sides of the desk

• Her collaborative approach turns adversarial situations into partnerships

• She has a rare gift for making the incomprehensible suddenly crystal clear

• Every strategy is laser-focused on one outcome: securing your child's right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE)

 

Kimberly Brown Lucas

 

Ms. Lucas has worked in special education across all disability categories for 35 years. She began her career as a Head Start Coordinator in Michigan, then moved to this area and was hired by Fairfax Co Schools, where she taught in regional and regular school based classrooms for 15 years. Her emphasis and greatest passion was Autism programming. She was recognized by Fairfax for highly effective instruction and positive behavior interventions. She was one of the first special Autism resource teachers who traveled to classrooms to train teachers in a new role designed by Fairfax Co to focus directly on Autistic students. She traveled to Autism conferences across the country to learn best practices in academic, social and behavioral interventions. Ms Lucas then moved into special education administration where she served schools and families for 15 more years as a Central Office Liaison, providing successful support and mediation for the entire special education process from eligibility to complex IEPs, instructional planning, behavior and discipline issues, teacher training, and more. Ms. Lucas feels strongly that families deserve experienced, sensitive partners to help them navigate IEPs to provide access to the free and appropriate public education (FAPE) that every special child absolutely deserves, so she started a consulting firm, Edukare, in 2012. 

 

Elle Bohon

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Elle Bohon is an Educational Consultant with Best Solutions Educational Services. She holds a Master’s degree in Special Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, and is certified in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Early Childhood Special Education, and Multi-Categorical Special Education (PK–12). She brings over a decade of experience across grade levels and settings.

 

Elle began her career teaching second grade before moving into self-contained early childhood special education, later teaching in a multi-categorical special education classroom serving students with a wide range of needs, including autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional/behavioral challenges. She has also co-taught in inclusive K–5 classrooms, which strengthened her ability to bridge general and special education supports for students and families.

 

In her role with Best Solutions, Elle partners with families to navigate IEP and 504 processes, often helping to resolve conflicts within IEP teams by fostering collaboration, clear communication, and child-centered solutions. She also supports families throughout the IEP process, helping them prepare for meetings, understand their rights, and feel confident in advocating for their child’s needs. Her goal is to ease the stress of special education procedures by equipping families with clarity, strategies, and a strong voice at the table.

 

Elle has been with Best Solutions since 2024 and is passionate about ensuring that every child has access to an individualized, supportive educational experience.